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Look, you’re going to see The Odyssey. Universal knows it, you and I know it, and Christopher Nolan knows it. Nolan’s first movie after the triumph of Oppenheimer? A big, old-school epic with gods and monsters and warriors and big ships? Up-and-coming movie stars like Zendaya and Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson, alongside established greats such as Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway? Also, John Leguizamo, returning to his Romeo + Juliet roots to once again adapt a work of classic literature?!?
But here’s the thing: does anyone know what The Odyssey is actually about? Is there a modern version of Ducktales to educate the public about Sirens and Circe and Helen of Troy? Clearly, Universal isn’t taking any chances, as the final trailer lays out the basic plot beats. For those who could use a little more explanation, let’s break down the storylines set up in the trailer.
The trailer opens with Zendaya exercising the “ethereal perfume commercial” muscles she built for the first Dune, as the goddess Athena urges the shipwrecked Odysseus to remember his home in Ithaca. Played by Matt Damon, Odysseus has been fighting under King Agamemnon in the Trojan War for 10 years, and is ready to return home, but has been captured by the nymph Callisto (Charlize Theron). Odysseus’ decade-long journey back to Ithaca makes up the main plot of The Odyssey, as he’s constantly waylaid by monsters and witches and dumb crew people who open magic bags of air too early.
Next, we see what Odysseus has left behind, namely his wife Penelope (Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Holland). The trailer leans hard into the romantic and familial longing of those who miss their husband and father, as you’d expect from a modern blockbuster. However, the source text was less concerned about romantic feelings, something the original audience wouldn’t have thought about in the individualistic terms we use today, and more about the social implications.
The trailer gives us a sense of those implications too, especially in Holland’s plot. The young Telemachus feels a responsibility to step into his father’s place as the king, if only because the people need a leader and Odysseus’s absence would have threatened to plunge the city into anarchy. However, Telemachus’ youth and devotion to a king who seems to have abandoned the people raises questions about his ability to rule.
The trailer shows us the most notable challenger to Telamachus’s position, Antinous, played by Pattinson. It’s not entirely clear from the trailer, but Antinous is one of the suitors, a legion of men who visit Odysseus’ home in his absence and stay for several years—hospitality is a big thing in Greek culture, so Penelope couldn’t just kick them out. Antinous and the other suitors want to convince Penelope that Odysseus has gone for good, and that she should choose from the group. She will, but with a special test that involves the bow that she holds in the trailer, leading to a thrilling climax that we won’t spoil now.
Of course, a lot more happens across The Odyssey‘s ten-year span, and Nolan will certainly collapse the timeline in interesting ways, as is his wont. But thanks to the trailer, at least the most uninformed viewer will have a sense of what’s going on as Matt Damon battles his way back to Anne Hathaway.
The Odyssey arrives in theaters on July 17, 2026.
The post The Odyssey Final Trailer Just Spells Out the Plot For Non-Classics Majors to Enjoy Too appeared first on Den of Geek.
